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Show A12 Castle Valley Review, March 2009 Heart & Soul The season ends for the Lady Spartans with a heart stopping finish at the State Championships Casey D. Wood Photos by WIllie Robertson In the end, the state championship was only one point away from their grasp. The Emery High School Lady Spartans, who had a 13 game winning streak and were the Region 8 Champions with a 10-0 region record and a 19-5 seasonal record, faced off against the Wasatch Wasps at the Utah State 3A Basketball Championship on Feb. 28, and faced a bitter one point defeat. The tournament began for the Lady Spartans on Feb. 26 as they faced off against the Morgan Lady Trojans. The Lady Spartans fought through the first quarter and ended it with a 14-11 lead. Despite their best efforts, the Trojans were unable to outmaneuver the Lady Spartans. The first half ended with the Spartans leading, 30-21. As the two teams returned to the court for the third quarter, the Spartans were determined to maintain their lead and were able to do so, ending the third quarter with a twenty point lead, 48-28. In the final quarter the Lady Spartans proved to be the stronger warriors as they ended the game victoriously with a final score of 63-52. The second game the Lady Spartans would play was against the Judge Memorial Catholic High School Lady Bulldogs—the team who beat the Lady Spartans out of the tournament in the 2007-2008 season. As the game began on Feb. 27, the Spartans were determined not to face the same fate as the year before, and they proved it by ending the first quarter with 10-5 lead. In the second quarter the Lady Spartans maintained their lead and ended the first half with a score of 22-17. In the third quarter the Lady Bulldogs were able to slightly close the gap, and the quarter ended 34-30, Emery. In the final quarter the Spartans, eager to overcome the team that had cost them State the previous year, fought hard and gained an insurmountable lead, overtaking the Lady Bulldogs with a final score of 47-39. The Lady Spartans then went on to face the Lady Wasps in the State Championship game on Feb. 28. The game between the 2006-2007 State Champions, Emery High School, and the 2007-2008 State Champions, Wasatch High School, proved to be a great game with a heart-wrenching end. In the first quarter Emery fought hard and took an early lead of 12-8. Both teams continued to play to the best of their abilities, but at the end of the first half, Emery led 22-16. As the two teams returned to the court for the second half, both seemed set on taking home the title of 3A State Champions. The Wasps were able to close the gap the Spartans had created in the first half, and the third quarter ended with a 26-24 Emery lead. As the last 8 minutes began to tick away on the clock, the hearts of every person in the stadium were pounding out of their chests. The only recognizable sound was that of the announcer over the loudspeaker, apart from that, the only sound was the roar of the two teams’ fans. The Wasps pulled ahead and despite Emery’s best efforts, they were unable to regain control of the game and faced a stomach-churning defeat. The final score was 31-32. Despite the unfortunate results of the Championship game, the Lady Spartans were able to play extraordinarily in the tournament. They were led in scoring by Abbie Kay with 43 points. Following Kay was Jodi Robertson with 26 points, one 3point shot. Next was ShiAnne Allred with 22 points, Frankie Komar with 20 points, two from behind the key, Jessica Murray with 17 points, four from downtown, and Taylor Mann rounded up scoring for the Lady Spartans with 13 points. All things considered, although the defeat suffered by the Lady Spartans was unfortunate, they have played a great season. Congratulations to them on their second place victory at State and their success throughout the 2008-2009 basketball season. |